INFLATOR CAPABLE OF MODULATING AIRBAG INFLATION RATE IN A VEHICLE OCCUPANT RESTRAINT APPARATUS

In an occupant restraint apparatus for installation in a vehicle, a smart airbag inflator (14) is provided with a piston (30) for regeneratively pumping liquid propellant from a reservoir (49) into a combustion chamber (48) for ignition and combustion to generate airbag inflation gases. To control t...

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Main Authors TARCZYNSKI, MAREK, INGRAM, LARRY STEFAN, BROWN, STEVEN JOSEPH, MESSINA, NEALE ARTHUR
Format Patent
LanguageEnglish
French
Published 06.08.1998
Edition6
Subjects
PERFORMING OPERATIONS
TRANSPORTING
VEHICLES IN GENERAL
VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISEPROVIDED FOR
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Summary:In an occupant restraint apparatus for installation in a vehicle, a smart airbag inflator (14) is provided with a piston (30) for regeneratively pumping liquid propellant from a reservoir (49) into a combustion chamber (48) for ignition and combustion to generate airbag inflation gases. To control the airbag inflation rate, the piston includes a piston head (32) slidingly received in a damping chamber (46) filled with a magneto-rheological fluid (83) that is pumped through an orifice (92) during the regenerative pumping stroke of the piston. An electromagnet (86) is selectively energized to produce a varying magnetic field to adjust the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid flowing through the orifice and thus vary a damping force exerted on the piston stroke, thereby modulating the rate of liquid propellant combustion. Electromagnet current excitation is controlled in response to a particular accident scenario.
Bibliography:Application Number: CA19982279410